Norwegian press bodies ask if journalist’s India visa revoked over criticism of PM Modi

Two Norwegian press associations on Friday asked the Indian embassy in Oslo if its decision to revoke the visa of journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen moments before she was scheduled to depart for Hyderabad was linked to her criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Svendsen had said on Thursday that she was not given an official reason for the cancellation of her visa. In an interview to Scroll, she said she was told that the decision had come “on orders from above”.

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The Norwegian journalist was scheduled to attend the Bharat Summit in Telangana as a delegate. The event was organised by the Congress-led state government.

Svendsen had sparked a debate in May when she questioned Modi about his reluctance to take questions from journalists during his visit to Norway. She works for the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen.

In their letter on Friday, the Association of Norwegian Editors and the Norwegian Press Association said that it was “legitimate to ask whether the revocation of her journalist visa is connected to the critical questions she put to India’s prime minister”.

Today the Association of Norwegian Editors and the Norwegian Press Association have sent an open letter to the Embassy of India in Oslo, Norway.

"We are concerned about what this case means for the ability of Norwegian and other foreign journalists to cover India and to… pic.twitter.com/FCL3wCfOWD

— Helle Lyng (@HelleLyngSvends) November 13, 2026

“Journalists must be free to question those who govern,” the letter read. “This is part of their role in society and a basic democratic right. Denying a journalist entry for asking critical questions is a serious infringement of press freedom.”

The associations added that they were “concerned about what this case means for the ability of Norwegian and other foreign journalists to cover India and to question how the country is governed in the future”.

They also noted that India is ranked 157th among 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index 2026.

“Among other things, [Reporters Without Borders] notes that Prime Minister Modi has not held a single press conference since taking office in 2014,” the letter said.

It added that the Indian authorities have previously revoked or declined to renew visas and permits held by foreign journalists.

“In 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Indian authorities to stop using visa regulations to prevent foreign journalists from covering sensitive subjects, stressing that visa regulations should not be used to censor or intimidate the media,” it said.

Written by Tanya Shrivastava. Edited by Sneha.

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